


And the Bards Shall Sing

by Silvergryphon06



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Action & Romance, Awkward Flirting, Bonding, Bunny Bards, Companionable Snark, Except Sexy Raubahn, F/M, Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward Spoilers, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood Spoilers, Friends to Lovers, Interspecies Romance, Main story mostly compliant, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Pipin is supportive son, Protect Alphinaud, Vaginal Sex, Viera Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), sex pollen kinda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:46:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23875660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvergryphon06/pseuds/Silvergryphon06
Summary: Across the breadth of Hydaelyn, war is breaking out and the Scions must somehow find a way to prevent another Calamity.The rescue of Flame General Aldynn from the pits of Halatali results in a wayward mating bond between himself and the Warrior of Light, something unheard of between Hyur and Viera. Slowly, they try to learn how to navigate their newfound connection and whether they really want it or not.
Relationships: Raubahn Aldynn/Warrior of Light
Comments: 7
Kudos: 25





	And the Bards Shall Sing

**Author's Note:**

> For your reading pleasure. 
> 
> I will be marking all explicit chapters in the titles! And we're jumping right into it.

The phantom pain had yet to cease. 

The stump where his left arm should be throbbed still, its sear a welcome agony to sharpen what was left in his mind. Within days of his initial imprisonment, he was chained in his prison. His cage flowed with aether, sharp and stinging as it bled him of vitality. The sensation remained clear even as all else faded after a time. He could not say how long. Something was put in either the food or the water that was forced down his throat at intervals, something that muddled his mind. Slivers now were all that would come to him. Nanamo. Lolorito. Shame. Betrayal. Fury. Vengeance. They circled in his skull like vultures, picking at his carrion thoughts. 

In an explosion of movement, he hurled himself against the throbbing blue light, only to be thrown back near instantaneously, his muscles seized by currents of magic and electricity. A groan wrenched itself out of his mouth, the stones at his back cold and unwelcoming. 

Another round of useless flailing passed and with it went more of his strength. Somewhere, he knew it was a bloody stupid thing to do, but that rational part of him was distant, overwhelmed by emotions he couldn’t control. Visions chased one another, spinning, whirling across the width and breadth of his mind. His blood was fire, his throat raw from the bellows of rage that he could do little to silence. And yet silence was all he heard. Nothing pierced the magitek shell, not light, not sound, not even the air he breathed, humid and fetid as it was from his near constant abuse of it. And he could not even hear that. 

Snarling, he rolled to his side and then pushed himself up. He scanned the perimeter of his prison, searching for a weakness and knowing there was none. He was well and truly caged. Beyond the translucent wall lay the same stone that scraped against the armor that protected his knees. The rage abated for a scant moment, long enough for him to catch his breath and take a little more stock of where he was. He’d been transported from the dungeon beneath Ul’dah. He remembered that much, and he thought he recognized one of the gladiator pits that laid within Halatali. 

The moments of clarity were fleeting. 

It was that last conscious thought that scattered and with a roar, he charged against the shield once more.

Minutes and hours flowed into one another, sliding past him unheeded. The barrier was all that he could see, the only thing he could focus on. Every time he staggered back to his feet, the need to break it crashed over him and he would rush forward, only to be repelled again and again. Heat crawled up his spine, settled like molten lead in his belly, flowed through his limbs, unnatural and impossible to ignore. He wanted to smash his fist into anything that would give, anything that would allow him just half a breath of relief from the fever that encompassed him. 

And then, without warning, his senses were assaulted. The shield’s opaque surface dissipated and the sound of battle rang out, muted but there. His wild eyes shot across the barrier as his fist curled and he stood, watching and panting. People were running across what was obviously an arena, but he couldn’t grasp the thought long enough to make anything of it. Howling, he threw himself at the shield again, slamming into its surface. He bared his teeth at those that dashed past him then recoiled, instinctively covering his eyes as light blasted through the archway across from his prison. 

He blinked rapidly, eyes stinging as his world shifted in shades of black and white until it finally resettled and he could finally string more than a few thoughts at a time together. He could also make out a set of figures that were being swarmed, figures that he recognized. A young man that barely stood tall enough to reach his abdomen was flinging spells with an open book gripped tight in his hand. A woman with horns wove a pair of daggers through the mob around her with the ease one cuts a thread. And the third was a statuesque viera and it was she that caught his attention and held it.

The power of the primals seemed dismal in comparison, much less that of the races of men. To stand before her was to stand before a tidal wave; a man could not help but be swept up in her wake. 

Well did he remember the moment he had first seen her striding through the doors of the Chamber of Rule. She had been easy to miss, another downtrodden soul passing beneath the gates -- unremarkable at best. Her eyes lacked the flame then, but when that smoldering ember finally caught fire--

Gods, what a sight that had been to behold. 

Eorzea itself was captivated by the path she blazed across it, its people staring gobsmacked at what she wrought. Her efficiency in accomplishing tasks assigned was admirable, but her competency beggared belief. She never faltered, never failed. One by one, the corpses of primals, the empire, and even their own petty squabbles piled beneath her boots and they came to realize that she only used every obstacle to continue her climb. She became their steadying hand and Hydaelyn trained its eyes on the future she carved for them all with her every deed and word. 

But Raubahn’s gaze was trained on _her_. 

Mydia Bysnoe.

The white-haired viera had pricked something in him as she rose through the ranks of the droves of adventurers flocking to his city. He had never faulted those who had been charmed by her exotic beauty or the way she plainly spoke her thoughts, but he could scarcely believe how many had dismissed her outright. Perhaps they judged her by the cream-colored ears that swayed with every turn of her head, assuming to their peril that she was naught more than something to be gawked at or petted. He had seen her wield that ungainly bow that she kept strapped to her back. Naught but something incredibly powerful could draw fletching from that monster. 

He could see the savagery in her features now, a storm of steel and blood that threatened to break across any and all in her path. She strode in like a gods-damned gladiator into the arena, a well-weathered bow in both hands and her voice lifting clear and strong in a familiar battle ballad. The Warrior of Light sang of death as it flew from her fingertips, as each nocked arrow found its unerring mark in her former brethren. Crystal Blades, as he now remembered them, fell as wheat to a scythe, their own vast arsenal scant able to keep up. For every mage that attempted to heal or resurrect his fallen comrades, two more of his ilk dropped at his feet. In mere moments, their resolve had broken and they turned to flee only to find the Doman ninja and the young elezen lord cutting off their escape. 

The strength his rage had given him was ebbing. Raubahn braced his forearm against the shield, feeling his body slowly slide down until he was on one knee. His breathing was labored as his heart galloped against his ribs. It reminded him of his first battle, so many years ago, when he had barely been big enough to pick up a blade, much less wield one. His muscles felt jittery and useless, and the throbbing in both his arm and his head made it difficult to keep awareness. Several minutes must have passed because when he next focused on the battle, it was over, save for the very last three of the Crystal Braves. They stood under the archway now, whereas his assumed rescuers had fought across the pit near to his prison. His teeth gnashed as his gaze landed on Ilberd at the fore. 

Alphinaud’s words were distorted through the shield. 

“It’s over, Ilberd! Lay down your arms and surrender yourself to justice!”

The huge man sneered. “Justice?! Justice for what exactly? ‘Twas not I who assassinated the sultana, boy!"

Alphinaud’s eyes narrowed. “Ere we debate who is responsible for the assassination, I would ask whether an assassination took place at all.”

“Clever little shite…” the Ala Mhigan murmured before he turned his eyes to the Warrior of Light. “If you think you fight for justice, lass, you’d best wake up. The truth is, you fight for whoever bloody well tells you to. Can you not see you’re being used?! By the Scions, the city-states, even the Crystal Braves. They none of ‘em care a whit what _you_ want--only what you can do for them. And how do I know this? Because I’m the same--a pawn to be used as my masters see fit. All I ever wanted was to liberate my homeland, and I ate dirt to make it happen. But what have I achieved after all these years in servitude? Nothing! Not a bloody thing.”

She smiled, but it was more teeth than anything, her head canting sharply. “What, do you think that’s some great revelation to me?” 

Alphinaud cut his gaze towards her, the stony look on his face becoming troubled. “Mydia…”

She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. I wanted to be an adventurer. I gladly put myself in a position to be used and I am fully aware of what that means.” She ticked her chin towards Ilberd. “I sleep well at night because I’m content with my lot in life. If you didn’t want the mercenary life, you should have stayed and fought in Ala Mhigo. But you didn’t. You left, hoping to find something or someone strong enough to help you. And you never managed, but somehow, that’s everyone else’s fault, isn’t it?”

Ilberd snarled at her. “If we ourselves are not free--free to think and to act--how are we ever to reclaim our homeland? Know this: there is nothing I would not give to take back Ala Mhigo! NOTHING!”

“And he heard nothing of what I said,” she sighed, fully nocking her arrow once more. 

Ilberd thrust his hand towards the ground with a blinding flash that made them draw back. When the whiteness faded, he was out of the arena, fleeing towards the exit.

“You’ll not get away!” Alphinaud cried out and took off after him. 

Mydia gestured to Yugiri. “After him, I’ll free the General!”

Yugiri nodded and vanished. 

Within a few strides, she was there, just on the other side of the shield from him. She sheathed her bow and knelt across from him, her hand reaching out to flatten against the barrier near his. 

“Raubahn, can you hear me?”

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “Aye, I can. You’re a bloody sight for sore eyes.”

The grin she gave him was cheeky and warm. “I can only imagine. Do you know how to turn this damned thing off?”

He started to turn, to point to the engine that grumbled behind him, but there was a sudden hiss that had him instead whipping towards his left. It was followed by a rattling slam that snapped both of their heads towards the archway, now closed off by a huge portcullis. 

“Fuck,” he swore, feeling the familiar tendrils of anger threading through his thoughts. He smacked the shield with his fist to get her attention. “Whatever happens, do not open this shield!”

Her eyes flickered from his face to the mist that was filling his prison and he could very nearly see her putting the pieces together in her head as her mouth tightened into a thin line. “If I had to guess, I don’t think I’m the one we have to worry about.” She dipped her head to meet his eyes, exposing her teeth fiercely. “He’s going to let you out of here so I can kill you. Because you aren’t going to be able to control yourself for much longer, right?”

He grunted, a sudden stab of heat in his belly stealing his breath so that he couldn’t reply. Panting, he watched as her eyes narrowed to slits. She lifted her other hand to brace against the shield, both clenching tight enough that he imagined he heard the leather of her gloves creak. Rising up from her knees to a crouch, she looked around quickly. “Shit, shit, shit....hold on, I’m thinking. Thaliak’s flaming balls, he had to pick the godsdamned Bull for this.”

If he’d had the wit left, he would have laughed, but as it was he could only close his eyes and stay still, concentrating on keeping his mind together as the gas snaked into his lungs. Carefully, he said, “You had better...move…”

“Fuck, right.” But before she did, he watched her duck her head to meet his eyes one more time. “But I promise you, when this is done, I am going to bring you his head. And _both_ of his arms.”

Then she was gone from his sight. 

* * *

Cursing, Mydia withdrew to the other side of the arena, all the way to the wall, where she set her bow and quiver on top of a pile of crates. With any luck, they would survive the oncoming bout. Seven hells, she hoped _she_ survived. Her odds were good, but she had seen Raubahn in a fight and gods be damned if she wasn’t sure who would actually manage to win. 

Her hand raked through her short-shorn hair, pushing it out of her face. She turned towards the magitek shield and stepped up to the edge of the platform, her arms loose at her sides. She hadn’t pegged Ilberd for the type that liked tricks, but she supposed she should have. His methods for trapping Eline should have been clue enough, but then again, Mydia knew that he wasn’t the one pulling the strings, in that operation and the chaos that had been sown in Ul’dah. Telediji Adelediji had been behind a large part of it, but something had clearly gone wrong at the feast. The little shit couldn’t have planned to have been killed. And that little speech Ilberd had given about being used. That was a good indication that he’d had more than one master. The question was whether one of them was behind this or if it was all of Ilberd’s design. 

The shield’s hum changed, snapping her attention back to the present. There was a shuddering, wheezing thud and with a blink of blue, the barrier dropped. She shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, balanced as she watched Raubahn closely. He was still in the same position she had left him and by the rise and fall of his shoulders, he was also still breathing heavily. Then he raised his head -- and her heart sank.

There was something rabid in that look. It made the fur on her neck stand up and her ears flicked back. His scent, normally a mix of sunbaked earth and steel, was choked out by the overwhelming stench of chemicals. It burned her nose and she had to stop herself from covering her mouth with one hand. But she didn’t look away from him, didn’t dare to. There was a hunger in his features, a wolfishness that slunk uneasily down her spine. It was easy to compare herself to prey, but she didn’t believe that he would be restrained enough to do something as patient as stalking her across the arena. Reaching out with the Echo, Mydia tried to discern what he may have been thinking, but she could only feel an overpowering rage. His aether was smothered by it. 

She was so focused on what she could sense that she very nearly missed the charge. 

Sucking in a startled breath, she leape to the side, his fingernails raking her side as she barely, barely dodged his grab. His roar was deafening as he spun on one heel, faster than she could follow with her eyes. Reflexively, she bent back, using her momentum to slide beneath his arm. Her hand skittered across the stone as she scrambled for purchase and with a heave and flex of her leg, vaulted up from the floor. Snatching at the ragged sleeve of his tunic, she swung herself up onto his back, swiftly wrapping her thighs around his waist and one arm around his neck. 

With all the strength she could muster, she clasped the other hand about her wrist and squeezed his throat, hoping to render him unconscious before he could do any real damage to either of them. 

“Raubahn, stop!” she snarled in his ear.

She might as well have spoken to stone for all the good it did her. His arm reached over his shoulder, his fingers wrapping around her bicep in a grip that made the bone beneath creak with the pressure. Mydia hissed, the pain distracting enough that her own grip faltered and he was able to fling her from him like a bolt from her bow. He hurled her at the wall, her back crashing into the unforgiving stone with an impact that stole what little breath she had. Wheezing, she tried to suck in air, but within the span of that single heartbeat, he was in front of her and his forearm was slammed against her throat. 

He was still panting, his eyes fixed on hers as he savagely pressed his weight into her. She wretched, fighting the instinct to scrabble at him. She brought her knee up hard, but his thigh was shoved between her legs, keeping her from getting the footing she needed. Mydia twisted, trying to work something loose long enough to strike back, but he kept just out of reach. She couldn’t headbutt him, couldn’t reach out far enough with a hand to punch him and she knew that attacking his torso would do nothing. Which left her with one pretty unhonorable option. 

Well, when life was on the line…she just hoped he would forgive her later.

Despite the need to struggle, she forced the tension to leave her body, going limp in his grasp, but she slipped her hand down, ran her palm down his abdomen, her fingers shakily slipping under his tunic and smallclothes until she had him in her hand. He was already half-hard. Fighting and fucking could be two sides of the same coin. She stroked him, once, and Raubahn’s entire body went rigid. 

The pressure of his arm pulled back just enough for her to suck in a glorious gulp of oxygen and she made sure that she kept her body as relaxed as she could, letting her ears stay low against her head and keeping her eyes on his. Submissive, non-threatening, and as her hand made another long, slow pass down his cock, she hoped she was also becoming appealing. 

Her heart was a blacksmith’s hammer in her chest as he stared down at her, his aggressive snarl fading into a deep frown. He seemed...confused. A little encouraged by that, she kept her touch measured, but sure and, following her own instinct, eased her head away so that more of her throat was bared to him from beneath his arm. He still reeked of chemicals, but the current of his actual scent was also there and she drew in a deliberately sedate breath, letting it coat her nose. The Echo buzzed in the back of her skull, the sour heat of his anger shifting. She could feel his aether more clearly, his natural magic surfacing a little more. He was still in the grip of whatever Ilberd had dosed him with, but the unexpected stimulus was altering its artificial urge. He leaned in closer, his nostrils flaring and she wondered what she smelled like to him if he could pick up the quiet coils of arousal that were starting to warm her belly. 

If she were anything, anyone else, she may have felt ashamed of it, but viera, perhaps more than most other races, were of a practical nature. And while it would make this much, much easier on both of them if she were physically responsive to him, she could admit that even in other circumstances, she still would have been. As a potential mate, Raubahn would have been attractive to many of her people. His strength and intelligence were impressive enough, but it was the almost noble pragmatism with which he used them that was the most pleasing. She knew that, in his right mind, he would be a passionate and considerate lover, which was rare in a Hyur, at least by the viera’s standards. But in their current predicament, she couldn’t afford to indulge in her private desires. 

Well, at least not all of them. As enjoyable as she had suspected laying with him could be, it would improve her chances naught to chase her own pleasure. 

Ilm by ilm, Raubahn’s arm slid further as she coaxed his cock to full hardness. Mydia watched his features carefully as, now feeling emboldened, she twisted her wrist at the top of her stroke and swiped her thumb across the head, gratified to feel that it was slick; then she ran her hand down again, cupping his heavy sack and rolling it between her fingers. He let out a harsh grunt, jerking into her palm as she repeated the motion. She rolled her own hips against his thigh with a soft sigh, hoping to keep his attention elsewhere as her free hand skimmed against his arm. Skating her fingertips over his skin, she slid them to caress his knuckles before slowly, but resolutely, guiding his own fingers to the base of her throat. Automatically, they curled, the tips reaching the fur at the back of her neck as his thumb rested in the dip of her collarbones. She released his hand and was well-contented that he didn’t move it. It was a common display of dominance in her people, a silent signal of trust and while she didn’t expect him to know that, she hoped that it would trigger some kind of recognition that she was openly submitting to him. 

“Raubahn,” she murmured, her gaze searching his face. 

His eyes were becoming less focused and more glazed, his hips thrusting shallowly, chasing her hand. Low sounds were rumbling from deep in his chest, his lips parting as he stared down at her. His thumb swept up, stroking across the patch of skin where her pulse thrummed. His eyes dropped to follow the motion and then he bent his head, scraping his teeth over the flesh. Mydia shuddered and tilted her head back against the wall, giving him any access that he wanted. 

Raubahn pressed closer, making it difficult for her to keep up her rhythm, so with a final squeeze, she released his cock to run her claws firmly up the muscular ridges of his stomach. His skin seemed to ripple and she imitated it by rocking her hips forward to grind against him. A moan rolled out of her mouth as he lapped at her throat, his fingers flexing to grip the back of her neck tightly. He was consistently thrusting against her now, meeting her movements. Heat was washing up her spine in waves, pooling slickly between her thighs. 

Seeking relief from the oppressive warmth, and a further distraction, the viera’s fingertips danced over the braces that held her armor tight. In a series of quiet snaps and a shrug of her shoulders, the leather dropped to the dirt, freeing the body-tight undershirt that she wore under it. Raubahn drew back from her at her odd movements, then growled as she impatiently rucked up her garment and breast band both. White fur curved at the top of her ribcage, covering her sides back to where it grew down the length of her back. Her abdomen was bare skin, but another twin set of swirls traced the dip of her waist to join the rest of the fur that ended in a soft tuff at the very base of her spine, a downy line that ended just above the jut of her hips. A final patch began just below her navel and trailed down beneath the tops of her short trews. 

His eyes hotly traveled down and then snapped back up to her face. Mydia kept mostly still, her head still resting against the stone behind her. One hand remained beneath his tunic, lightly dragging her claws up in a teasing line to his chest while the other hand cupped her breast. With a slow, wicked curl of her lips, she rolled a nipple delicately between her thumb and forefinger, arching her back as she did. 

“Raubahn,” she called again softly. It was an obvious beckoning. 

He responded with a guttural sound that made her thighs clench before his hand released her throat and he withdrew his leg from between hers. With no other warning, Raubahn’s arm slipped low, curling under the swell of her ass and hauling her up against his chest. Squeaking in surprise at the rapid movement, Mydia automatically slung her legs around his waist, her hands flying to his massive shoulders to find balance. She felt his fingers slide under the material of her shorts and then fisted. The hems bit into her flesh as he steadily, forcefully pulled before they completely fell apart, threads fraying until they snapped. He flung the ruined clothing somewhere to the side, her smalls with it, but she couldn’t muster much energy to care when his tongue laved across the tip of her breast, almost as if in apology. 

She barely noticed that he had put her back against the wall, letting the stone brace her weight long enough for him to reach down and yank his own clothing out of the way. The hot length of him bounced against her inner thigh, already slippery with her own need. His mouth pulled on her nipple, his teeth grazing and his tongue circling. She groaned and slid her fingers up to burrow into his thick braids, desperate to keep him there. She was rocking against him, his cock slickly sliding over her clit. Moans were pouring out of her throat, the syllables of his name woven in a slow, soft slur among them.

Raubahn switched to the other breast and her claws snagged on the leather cord that kept his hair bound back. A twist of one sharp edge and the braids fell free, tumbling into her hands. She wrapped them around her fists and tugged hard and hissed in pleasure when he bucked against her. He had shifted his hand to grip her hip, hard enough to bruise. Panting, she looked down to see his eyes fixed on her features intently. He released her breast with an obscene sound and Mydia bent her neck to bring their faces closer. She ran her claws lightly against his scalp, combing her fingers through his hair until she could grasp the back of his neck.

Aether was thickly winding around them, hot and close. Its magic flared across her skin, burned in her blood. A wave was rising somewhere deep in her being, insistent, consuming, and inviting. It meant something, but she couldn’t pull her thoughts together long enough to decipher it. 

Delicately, she licked against his lips, tiny flicks of her tongue that she then pressed against his jaw. 

“Please,” she whispered to him, reaching between them to grip his cock once more.

His growl vibrated against her mouth and as soon as she had him nudging her entrance, Raubahn buried himself in a hard thrust. Mydia muffled a cry against his neck, biting down sharply at the staggering feeling of fullness. He snarled against her chest, his head turning to sink his teeth into the base of her throat in retaliation. 

The moment he did, the wave that had been building crested and crashed over her, aether blazing white-hot as cords of it snapped taut between them. She could feel it slam into Raubahn too, the Echo filling her with a need so intense she felt barely able to breathe. As if in response, his hips snapped powerfully up into hers and she tore her mouth away from him in a scream as pleasure and heat ripped through her. 

Instinctively, she rocked down onto him as best as she could from her position, any thought of passivity scattered like ash. Raubahn groaned against her throat and blindly, she wrapped an arm around the back of his head as he sought her breasts again, sucking sharp, wet lovebites into her flesh. The other hand she used to snake between them, rubbing fast, frantic circles against her clit, chasing release. The grip on her hip shifted to her ass, holding her at the angle he needed to move. His rhythm was punishing, his cock pushing deep into her wet cunt. She clenched around him, muscles fluttering as he fucked up into her. Her heels of her boots dug into his back, her claws raking his shoulders, making him grunt. 

Suddenly, she stiffened, teetering for a breathless second before everything turned molten, her body rolling with the sweeping tide as she came _hard_. Raubahn made another deep sound as she spasmed around him, the rumble of it vibrating in her chest. With a roar, he thrust hard, pulsing hot seed inside her and making her shiver. 

Mydia wrapped both arms around his shoulders and held on, bending her head to chase droplets of sweat down the arch of his neck with her tongue. A soft moan left her, a reflection of her satisfaction at the full feeling. He was blowing air from his nose like a bull, leaning forward to bury his face against her chest again. Tiredly, she stroked her fingers across the thick muscles of his back. 

She angled her mouth towards his ear to ask softly, “Are you alright?”

The sense of relief she felt to hear him wearily chuckle was almost suffocating. 

“Give an old gladiator a moment, lass...I think you damned near killed me.” 

Thank the gods. She squeezed her arms tighter, hugging him closer as she rested her chin on his shoulder and tipped her head against his. He was quickly softening inside her, but she was reluctant to move, too grateful to once again be speaking to the man she knew. 

“I was trying to avoid that, you know,” she replied dryly. “And I think you can call me Mydia now.”

“Aye,” he said, his voice muffled against her skin, his breath tickling her. “I suppose so.”

Then he lifted his head and she pulled back so that she could see his face. He looked haggard, but there was life in his eyes again. The chemical smell lingered around him, but it was muted now under his normal scent. She cradled his jaw between her hands and leaned down to brush her mouth against his, soft and quick. 

“You have no idea how glad I am to see you,” she said sincerely. 

Her heart flipped in her chest when he smiled--genuinely, truly smiled--up at her. “Well, I think I may have some idea.” 

She laughed and hugged him again, affection bubbling up in her chest. He abruptly cleared his throat, his arm withdrawing slowly from around her hips. Reading his intent, she unwound her arms and legs from him, wincing as her boots landed on the ground with a quiet thump. She was going to have trouble walking. And likely bruises. Also, she needed to at least find a new pair of trousers. 

Despite that, she couldn’t find it in herself to complain too much.

As he straightened his own clothing out, Mydia silently picked through the bodies that had fallen near the shield, searching. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find anything better than an embellished battle skirt, so it would have to do. She slipped it gingerly up her legs, grimacing as the material stuck to her inner thighs. A bath was in order when they got back to the Rising Stones. Perhaps sooner, if they passed through Little Ala Mhigo.

That was when she felt a warmth bled across her neck. Bewildered, she ran the pads of her fingers over the skin and felt a twinge somewhere in the back of her mind. Eyes widening in sudden realization, she whipped around to look at Raubahn and found that he was already staring at her. His gaze dragged down her body before snapping back up to hers. He licked his lips and Mydia had an overwhelming urge to cross the space between them and wrap her legs right back around him. Her cunt throbbed at the idea. Perhaps it showed on her face because his eyes darkened, his mouth now parting as he let out a breath.

"Do you...still feel something?" she asked slowly, watching as his hand clenched and unclenched at his side.

He didn't answer for a long moment, just continued to stare at her. Heat crept into her cheeks, slid down her spine and she bit her lip. She heard him softly groan before he was striding towards her, like he couldn't help himself. The viera stood completely still, ears rigid, her head angling back as he came to stand in front of her, his chest brushing hers. It was getting hard to breathe again.

"Yes," he answered finally, his focus seemingly zeroed in on her mouth as he reached up and firmly placed his thumb against her lower lip, tugging the plush flesh from her teeth.

Mydia swallowed hard. "Raubahn, I-" she started to say but had to remind herself to actually take the breath she was struggling for in order to speak. "I...don't think it's the mist." He didn't seem to be paying much attention to what she was saying, his thumb starting to glide across her lip and his gaze hot as he looked down at her. She closed her eyes and fought for another breath. 

She forced herself to look up at him, but the words became stuck as soon as she did. He was much closer than she anticipated, his jaw brushing the fringe of her bangs as he spoke in her ear, a rumbling burr of words that pulled at something low in her belly. 

"Then what is it?"


End file.
